Below are a couple of top AEW & WWE news stories of the day.
• Legendary commentator Jim Ross, known for his work with WCW, WWF/E, and AEW, recently shared his thoughts on the ideal length for pay-per-view events. AEW’s PPV events, like the recent AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door 2024 PPV, often face criticism for their lengthy duration, featuring extensive match cards.
On his “Grilling JR” podcast, Ross discussed what he considers the optimal duration for PPV shows while discussing AEW’s latest PPV. He believes that 3 hours is the sweet spot for a pay-per-view event, saying, “If you can’t conduct your business in 3 hours, you need to reevaluate your plan.” Ross noted that longer events, spanning 4 to 5 hours, can be overwhelming for viewers and risk losing their attention, especially since the main event typically occurs at the end of the show.
Reflecting on his time at WCW, Ross mentioned that their pay-per-views were around 2 hours and 50 minutes long, which he feels is a more appropriate duration. He emphasized the importance of catering to the audience’s attention span and not overextending the show’s length.
Ultimately, Ross advocates for a three-hour pay-per-view format, considering it a practical and viewer-friendly duration.
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• WWE Veteran Shelton Benjamin recently discussed his career and his thoughts on John Cena’s wrestling abilities. Despite spending 17 years with WWE, Benjamin was released during the September 2023 cuts and never moved beyond the mid-card scene.
In a conversation with Chris Van Vliet on the Insight podcast, Benjamin admitted that he didn’t advocate for himself, believing his work should speak for itself. He acknowledged both his strengths and weaknesses, particularly noting past criticism of his promo skills. He stated:
“No, I didn’t (fight for myself). Because I felt like my work should speak for itself and I didn’t want to fight for myself. I knew what my strengths were, I knew what my weaknesses were, and obviously I tried to work on them. I know I used to get so much slack for my promo work, and it’s like, yes, I was horrible at one time and then, like I said, I improved. But while I improved, I still wasn’t as flashy.”
Benjamin compared himself to John Cena, claiming that while Cena couldn’t match him in a wrestling match, his own mic skills were lacking:
“I will say I’m the anti-Cena because I don’t believe, in a wrestling match, in a move-for-move, whatever, he can’t hold a candle to me. But when it comes to mic skills, I’m at the shallow end of the gene pool.”
